City to savour distinct Welsh flavour this month

Giving the 'City of joy' a distinct flavour of Welsh theatre, language and literature, the 'Wales in Kolkata' programme will run from third week of January till February 2 across the city.

Several partner institutions from Wales and Kolkata will be collaborating in the programme where leading Welsh artists and arts organisations are preparing to share their works in theatre, dance and literature, British Council (East) Director Debanjan Chakrabarti told a press meet here Friday.

"This is a great opportunity to showcase some of the very best of Wales's artistic and creative abilities in Kolkata. We are delighted that all organisations have made deep connections with Kolkata thanks to their association with the India-Wales season 2017-2018," British Council Wales, Head of Arts, Rebecca Gould said.

 

The India-Wales season 2017-18, which was supported by the British Council and Wales Arts International, saw 15 Welsh organisations having collaborated with Indian partners, several of which were based in Kolkata, she said.

The 'Wales in Kolkata' programme will have two art troupes from the Welsh contingent - Light, Ladd and

Emberton (LL&E) and Theatr lolo - while the Kolkata partners will include Pickle Factory, Think Arts and publishers Bee Books.

As part of the programme, Theatr Iolo's production Transporter, "a spoken word odyssey, written and performed by Catherine Dyson partnering with Kolkata-based Think Arts" will be presented on January 23 at the Junior Kolkata Literary Meet, Victoria Memorial Hall, he said.

Light, Ladd & Emberton's (LL&E) dance production Caitlin, partnering with Kolkata-based Pickle Factory Dance Foundation, will be staged at the Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan chronicling popular Welsh poet Dylan Thomas' tumultuous relationship with his wife Caitlin.

It will be staged on January 22, 24 and 25.

Prof Daniel Williams of Swansea University and Gary Raymond, novelist and renowned editor of Wales Arts Review, will also be part of the Wales in Kolkata delegation.

"We are celebrating the partnership between Kolkata and Wales," Chakrabarti said while Dyson said "the programmes will talk about things which really join us.